Introduction
You don’t have to spend much for a fantastic entry-level PC, capable of running your favourite games at 1080p. There are a huge variety of manufacturers that have thrown their hat into the ring, which gives consumers a massive range of options to choose from.
In this roundup, we’re taking a look at a selection of excellent prebuilts, geared towards 1080p gaming. These systems vary drastically in price and specs, ensuring consumers can find a model that perfectly matches their needs, and preferences.
1. Skytech Gaming Chronos Mini
CPU: Intel Core i3 12100F
PC/HH Says: An entry-level CPU which supplies solid performance for an adequate 1080p gaming experience.
Memory: 16GB
PC/HH Says: 16GB of RAM is essential in a modern PC, and thankfully this system still includes it despite its lower price.
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
PC/HH Verdict: An aging, entry-level graphics card, which, despite its low performance, is still adequate for its low price.
Our most entry-level system in this roundup is the Skytech Gaming Chronos Mini, a basic, yet capable gaming PC. Despite its more budget component choices, it still offers a good gaming experience and overall usability. There are also several key standouts for a PC at this price, such as the surprisingly strong CPU cooler. It is recommended for consumers on a very tight budget wishing to play simpler titles at a stable framerate.
In terms of performance, consumers can expect a good experience in older titles or simpler Esports games, such as CSGO and Overwatch. Due to the lower-end graphics card and CPU, the framerate will suffer significantly in anything more demanding at higher settings. Thankfully, the CPU does include a solid tower cooler to ensure quiet operation and stable performance. The included 600W PSU is plentiful for this system and even enough for a moderate GPU upgrade in the future. The case is highly breathable whilst also offering a great selection of front IO, something very rarely seen at this price.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Good case choice | ❌ Only 500GB of storage |
✔️ Very affordable | ❌ Very low-end graphics card |
✔️ Large CPU cooler | ❌ A Core i3 CPU |
PC/HH Rating: 6/10
2. Skytech Gaming Shadow 3.0
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
PC/HH Says: Despite its age, it’s still a capable-enough CPU, though the bare minimum in a PC at this price.
Memory: 16GB
PC/HH Says: 16GB is a great starting point for a PC at this price, providing users with an overall good experience in most games.
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
PC/HH Verdict: A fantastic entry-level graphics card with a whopping 12GB of VRAM.
Our second offering from Skytech is the improved Shadow 3.0, featuring a significant GPU uplift, and other key components. Beyond the improved graphics card, consumers will also benefit greatly from the speedy PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe SSD. Naturally, given the lower price of this drive, it will be limited in some capacity, but it’s still perfect for day-to-day usage, alongside gaming too.
In terms of performance, whilst the capable RTX 3060 does provide a great starting point for 1080p gaming, the aging Ryzen 3600 is somewhat limiting, especially with the increasing performance demands of modern games. Despite this, the Shadow 3.0 should still perform very well in both simpler titles and more demanding games with some tuning to the graphical settings. However, as the included motherboard only includes 2 DIMM slots, adding more RAM to the system is made more complicated.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Great budget graphics card | ❌ Only 2 DIMM slots |
✔️ 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD | ❌ Low-end CPU |
✔️ Good rear IO | ❌ Includes Windows 10, not 11 |
PC/HH Rating: 7/10
3. Cyberpower PC GM60710 Gamer Master
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600
PC/HH Says: A fast and current-gen mid-range CPU that is ideal for 1080p gaming.
Memory: 16GB
PC/HH Says: Whilst this is the bare minimum in 2023, it still provides users with a reliable and smooth experience.
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
PC/HH Verdict: A great mid-range offering based on Nvidia’s latest architecture, a perfect choice at this budget.
The Cyberpower PC GM60710 Gamer Master is slightly more expensive in terms of price. However, it does offer a significantly better all-round experience. Featuring both a fast current-gen CPU and GPU, it does offer great performance for the price. At the same time, there have also been many other compromises made, in order to decrease the system’s overall price. The included RTX 4060 Ti is an ideal card for 1080p gaming at this price, making it ideal for even newer, more demanding titles, while the Ryzen 7600 CPU is an equally perfect pairing. What’s more, the higher-end 800W PSU does leave plenty of room for upgrades to the GPU in the future.
The performance will be slightly impacted by the decision to include all 16GB of RAM on a single DIMM, which isn’t commonly seen anymore. Whilst this system’s overall features offer more than adequate performance for the price, other aspects have been scaled back to keep costs down. Despite this, it’s still a highly capable PC delivering a great gaming experience.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Fast, current-gen graphics card | ❌ More expensive |
✔️ Fast, current-gen CPU | ❌ Single stick of memory |
✔️ 800W PSU | ❌ Very basic CPU cooler |
PC/HH Rating: 8/10
4. Velztorm White Fultix CTO
PC/HH Says: A great last-gen six-core CPU ideal for balanced 1080p gaming.
Memory: 32GB
PC/HH Says: 32GB is a fantastic upgrade to just 16GB, allowing users to do even more with their PC.
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
PC/HH Verdict: The RTX 3070 is a very capable card, ideal for high framerate 1080p gaming.
The Velztorm White Fultix CTO is a very clear step-up from previous PCs in this roundup, with very powerful specs for a 1080p gaming PC. However, there are some distinct sacrifices when it comes to components, such as the lower-end CPU, stock CPU cooler, or the mere 650W PSU. For many users, these compromises may not matter, and the overall experience of using and playing on this PC will still be fantastic. However they are still important to bear in mind.
The included RTX 3070 and Ryzen 5500 provided plentiful performance at 1080p, ideal for high-framerate gaming even in more demanding games. What’s more, the 32GB of memory is perfect to ensure the Velztorm White Fultix CTO maintains its high performance for many years to come, whilst also making the PC more well-suited for intensive tasks besides gaming. Whilst the Ryzen 5500 is still a highly capable chip, it does certainly bring down the overall performance potential of the PC. As such, this Velztorm system is a very powerful PC, it falls just short of living up to the full potential of a system at this price.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Powerful GPU | ❌ Stock CPU cooler |
✔️ 32GB of RAM | ❌ Only 650W PSU |
✔️ Plenty of storage | ❌ Expensive |
PC/HH Rating: 8/10
5. Corsair Vengeance A7200
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
PC/HH Says: A great mid-range CPU from AMD providing a great balance of price and performance.
Memory: 16GB
PC/HH Says: The bare minimum in 2023, and at this price, many other PCs begin to offer 32GB instead.
GPU: RTX 3060 Ti
PC/HH Verdict: A good mid-range graphics card which still maintains a solid level of performance at 1080p.
As this is a system from Corsair, consumers can expect their signature high-end quality parts used throughout the build. As such, not only does it look and perform great, but can be all easily controlled via the company’s iCUE software. These higher quality component do come at a cost, with the A7200 coming in at a higher price point, without the performance bonus. But despite this, consumers can leverage a high quality system with fast storage, great cooling, and a stylish, practical case.
The RTX 3060 Ti, despite being a last-gen card, still performs very well at 1080p, thanks to its high clock speeds and 8GB of VRAM. Whilst certainly limiting for the most demanding games, it does certainly offer a good and reliable experience in older or simpler titles, making this a fantastic GPU for gaming on a high refresh rate display. The included AIO cooler is a great touch, ensuring silent operation and room for overclocking the CPU. In terms of value, whilst its not as competitive in pure performance, other great quality-of-live improvements still do make the Corsair Vengeance a7200 worth it.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️Fast mid-range CPU | ❌Expensive |
✔️High-end PSU | ❌GPU could be a more powerful |
✔️AIO CPU cooler | ❌CPU is a previous-gen option |
PC/HH Rating: 8/10
Conclusion
To conclude, there are a number of suitable systems geared towards 1080p gaming, that can be found at many different budgets. These systems are more entry-level comparative to other options, but they are also perfect for those looking to play their favourite games at high framerates. You may have to dumb down some in-game settings here and there, but this is a small price to pay for stronger performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you customise a prebuilt?
Before purchasing a prebuilt PC, many of them can be customised before it’s shipped, with different amounts of storage, or even different key specs such as graphics cards or CPUs! While this can greatly increase the cost of the system, it does help fine-tune the experience of using the PC to each consumer.
Should I buy a prebuilt or build a PC myself?
Buying a prebuilt eliminates the hassle of selecting parts and building the PC, in addition to other benefits such as warranty on the whole build and the guarantee it arrives in a working state. However it’s usually more expensive than it would be to purchase all the parts individually.